Sugar Baby

I have a sweet tooth like no other and I have to consciously make the choice every single day to walk away from the value bag of Swedish Fish sold at CVS.
If you constantly eat a lot of sugar throughout the day, your body is constantly working. Then you have any energy problem. It’s a vicious cycle. You are tired and crave sugar, you eat the sugar, feel good for a short period of time then BOOM you crash. You feel even worse than before you ate the junk. The secret is not to eat the package of Little Debbie snack cakes.
Try kicking your sugar habit but there is no need to do it all at once. If you do you all at once you might experience mood swings, headaches and anxiety. It sounds silly but sugar is an addiction and just like kicking caffeine the withdrawal symptoms are similar.
Treat yourself like a child and slowly WEAN yourself off of refined sugar. Pick something you eat regularly that contains refined sugar ie: Donuts and try to replace it with something good for you like Oatmeal with cut up pieces of apple on top. I know sometimes a girl needs her sweets so if you are going to eat chocolate don’t eat the low quality stuff that has tons of additives and ingredients with names you can’t even pronounce but go for the tad more expensive but high quality stuff.

This is my fav chocolate bar when my sweet tooth calls:

Chocolove XOXOX Extra Strong Dark – 73% Cacao

3 servings per bar
Each serving:
13g fat (8g saturated)
11g carbs (3g fiber; 6g sugar)
The Chocolove XOXOX. I know, I know the name is silly but this brand is a smooth way to transition from the junk to healthy dark chocolate. It’s creamy and the light sugar content will fulfill your sweet craving but it’s not so heavy.
You can find this bar at Whole Foods, Target, or your local grocery store

Nice Gams!

You know the type. Everytime you make it to the gym you see one of the gym rats sitting on the outer thigh and inner thigh machine mindlessly pushing their legs out or in. Most of the time they aren’t doing anything but sitting there. Everytime I see them I think why should you sit for your workout when you’ve been sitting all day already?  Basically when you sit your core doesn’t work to it’s best capacity. That means you aren’t using it. Think about it...why would you do a exercise that requires you to just squeeze your inner thighs together? It’s not very functional. When do you do that in real life (keep your thoughts clean people)?  Don’t you want to be able to live your life with exhuberance? Probably most of the sassy fun activities you like to do are done standing. I want to share with you some ways you can sculpt some seriously sexy thighs without wasting time on the machines.
Let me start by saying that I’m not a big fan of performing isolated inner thighs exercises so I never make my clients or myself for that matter do them. I perfer dynamic moves. Performing isolated inner thigh moves is time consuming and unless there’s a valid reason for it, like, rehabilitating an injured muscle or improving certain body areas because of neglect and not being trained efficiently like the rest you shouldn’t be doing them. Your inner thighs are small muscles and in order to rev up your metabolism you have to use your entire leg to make things happen.
Here are some of my fav thigh moves that will have you scupting those lovely thighs in no time. The good news is there are only 3 moves so it’ll take you less than 8 min. Come 4 months from now you can rock those short shorts with style.

Wide Squat
(A) Stand with feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and toes pointed out to 10 o’clock and 2 o’clock.

(B) Slowly lower for two counts into a squat position. Hold the squat for one count, then straighten your legs for two counts to go back to the starting position.

This next one is a killer. It hurts so good

Small V pile
Begin with heels touching and toes slightly turned out. (A) Keeping heels together, rise up onto your toes. (Hold on to a wall if you feel wobbly, but maintain posture.)

(B) Bend your knees into a half squat for two counts, then come back up in two counts, keeping heels together.

This is an all time Favorite

Squat With A Ball
(A) Position your feet shoulder-width apart with toes pointed straight ahead. Place a medium rubber ball (or a knotted beach towel) between your legs just above the knees.

(B) Squeezing your inner thighs to keep the ball steady, lower into a squat for two counts. Hold for one, then return to standing for two counts

Naked! Naked! Naked!

I was teaching at my local gym and I walked into the women’s locker room to witness a woman who was buck naked with her leg up on the sink counter lotioning her body. She proceeded to stay completely naked and took her time drying her hair. I understand that you may feel totally at ease with your nude self but other people don’t feel that comfortable. This naked Chatty Cathie was trying to engage another gym member in mindless chit chat and the girl who she was speaking too was obviously uncomfortable.  She seemed embarrassed. Hey, I got an idea....if you NEED to make “friends” with everyone at the gym why not try on the gym floor where people tend to be fully clothed.

I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends

For the past month I’ve been setting personal goals and the first person I went to for help was a dear friend who has already had success achieving goals she set out to complete. This was beneficial to me because my friend has experience and wisdom into what it takes to get to the next level and overcome obstacles which in turn will provide me motivation to continue to work hard to accomplish the goals I set out to achieve
When it comes to working out and keeping yourself on track with your fitness goals I suggest you enlist a friend to encourage you to stay motivated. Friends offer not only companionship but will power and postitive influence. They might even bring out the competitive nature in you! Who can push harder, eat better and look amazing? That motivation is key to keeping you on track. Plus the time you spend sweating together is priceless. Your friends can hold you accountable to your goals while when your by yourself it would be easy to walk away from.
Again, when we know we are expected to be somewhere or do something, we as people are far more likely to do what needs to be done, and the same applies to fitness buddies.
By making use of a fitness friend, you will not only gain the necessary motivation and consistency, but you will get in some good girl time. While exercising, many people enjoy chatting with one another which makes the workout seem to fly by.

Mid Afternoon Motivation

It’s been a long day. You’ve worked all day and had to put up with difficult coworkers and a demanding boss. Your body is out of steam. You have every intention of going to the gym but somehow you’ve ended up in line at Chipotle again. Why is this? Probably because the last time you ate was at lunch time and that was 6 hours ago. You are running on empty. How can you fix this so your backside doesn’t end up as big as that burrito you are ordering for the 3rd time this week? Easy. Here are some tips to help you stay alert and keep you away from a fast food joint and get your booty into the gym.

• Eat 2 hours before you leave the office. 400-500 calories will do.  For example: fruit with a whole grain English muffin or yogurt and string cheese or a Luna bar and a piece of fruit
• Cut back on your White carbs (flour, sugar, white bread) and substitute with vegetables, which are higher in water and nutrients. Do this all day, everyday.
• Sip H2O from morning until night to help you make smarter food choices and prevent you from digging into the candy jar mid day and it keeps your metabolism up!

With a little bit of effort you will won’t just magically end up online at BK instead of spending time at the gym.

Peppy Playlist To Make You Sweat And Smile

It's Sunday night and you know that tomorrow you have to get up and face the music. In a few precious hours it’ll be Monday and that means it’s time to get back to the daily grind. The cool temp, shorter days and clouds don’t help matters. I know you don’t feel like going to work and the thought of going to the gym after a long day it the last place you want to be. 

A little bit of effort goes a long way. I am putting together a playlist for my coming workouts this week and I’m super excited about these jams that I just have to share them with you. This mix is about 40 minutes long. That means it’s the perfect length for a cardio session and or any kind of workout you love.

1.              (2:50) Who’s that Chick, David Guetta featuring Rihanna:  What??!!! This jam is hot and the strong beat is a great song to get you going. Use it for your warm up and your mood will instantly perk up. Get it girl!

2.              (3:21) Moves Like Jagger, Maroon Five featuring Christina Aguilera: This is my song! Fun and uptempo it’s a guranteed to make you want to move!

3.              (4:44) On the Floor, Jennifer Lopez featuring Pitbull:Oooo this song is one of J-LO’s finest workout songs.!

4.              (3:23) Dynamite, Taio Cruz: I had to put this on the list because my 7 year old nephew digs this song! It is so cute to hear him sing the lyrics! This song just makes me smile.

5.              (3:50) E.T., Katy Perry featuring Kanye West: I wasn’t sure if I really liked the song the first time I heard it but now I’m totally hooked. This song is fab for workouts.

6.              (3:19) Super Bass, Nicki Minaj: This song has a little slower tempo so it’s a great song to catch your breath.

7.              (4:20) Born This Way, Lady Gaga: I know this song has been over played but I love it so I’m including it in the mix. This song has a great beat and is a perfect song to have after Super Bass.

8.              (3:35) We Found Love, Rihanna: You may think this song is a slow jam but don’t be fooled. Once the beat starts in you will be on fire. Use this song during intervals as a “catch your breath” song or during a weight lifting session.

9.              (3:58) Till the World Ends, Britney Spears: I can’t have a playlist without my Britney. I love this crazy girl and this song gurantees an awesome 3:58 of workout bliss.

10.           (3:19) Sexy and I Know It, LMFAO: Ahhh yeah! As soon as this song comes on during one of my classes the energy goes off the roof. Add this song to your playlist and let your inner sexy out.

(4:27) Love on Top, Beyoncé: In honor of her new baby I’ve added this track. Use it for your cooldown and stretch. 

Ain't No Cure For The Winter Time Blues?

It’s that time of year again. The holidays are over. This is the saddest time of year for me and the happiest time for my Christmas hating hubby.  I get depressed seeing the discarded Christmas trees on the streets waiting for the garbage collectors to take them away. Even if you are a peppy person depression can sneak up on you. The winter blues upset me every year but here are some tips that help me deal with the coming cold winter months.

1. Get your Zzz’s.  Every sassy girl needs 8 hours. I know it sounds like a lot but I guarantee you can find the time. How about you get off of wasting time on Facebook? That is the biggest time waster.

2. Get your Sweat on. Just 30 minutes of cardio most days of the week will help keep the pep in your step. Try a new fitness class or DVD.

3. Watch what you eat. Try to eat whole foods. I mean stay away from processed foods. That is anything from a box, bag or a tube. Eat your veggies and not the kind in a frozen dinner. Eat the real thing!

4. Act like a kid. Get in touch with your inner child. Remember that episode of FRIENDS where Phoebe went running and she ran like a crazy idiot. She was onto something. Releasing tension will help to alleviate stress. Here is a fun one…go somewhere that has a giant trampoline and just jump! When I went home for the holidays I took my nephews to an indoor fun park and we played Lazer Tag and jumped on a trampoline. Playing was the best thing for my attitude as well as my gams. Acting like a big kid will make you feel refreshed plus you’ll burn major calories. That is always awesome!

Just remember Sassy is a state of mind and this time of year it’s important to be conscious of the effects that winter can have on your mood. Being aware is half the battle. Stay Sassy!